British Cycling is delighted to announce the dates and venues for the men’s 2018 road racing calendar, which will see the best British riders compete in 14 events in towns and cities across the country.

An exciting year of British cycle-sport will begin with one of the most popular events on the calendar, as the Chorley Grand Prix kicks off the three-round HSBC UK | Spring Cup Series, won in 2017 by Rory Townsend. The series welcomes back the East Cleveland Klondike following a successful debut in 2017, while the Lincoln Grand Prix will also return for 2018.

Jonathan McEvoy will be aiming to defend his title as the HSBC UK | Grand Prix Series kicks off with the Tour of the Reservoir in June while the series will visit Bristol for the first time, with the kermesse-style race taking place on Sunday 8 July.

The HSBC UK | National Circuit Series will visit Barnsley for the first time for the penultimate round of the series on Friday 20 July, with the series kicking off in Otley on the 4 July and concluding with the Colne GP on 25 July.

The events reached a combined audience of over 50 million people in 2017, through coverage of the racing on Eurosport and local news bulletins in the host towns and cities.

Jonny Clay, British Cycling’s director of cycling, said:

“It’s great to see a number of new races on this year’s road calendar, such as the Bristol Grand Prix and the Barnsley Town Centre Races, sitting alongside a host of incredibly popular and well-established events.

“All our series were a great success in 2017 and we are looking forward to building on that success in 2018 as we continue to strive towards a domestic series that not only attracts the top domestic teams and riders to our events but also takes our sport to new audiences.

“The competition will no doubt be as fierce as ever, and I’m sure that all of the teams, riders and spectators are chomping at the bit to get started.”

Matt Gibson, winner of the 2017 HSBC UK | National Circuit Series for JLT Condor, said:

“It’s great to see such a strong road calendar again in 2018, with some exciting new rounds for both riders and spectators to look forward to.

“Taking the victory in last year’s HSBC UK | National Circuit Series was an incredibly proud moment for me, and I can’t wait to start my title defence in July.”

The dates for the HSBC UK | National Women’s Road Series will be announced shortly.